The 920 itself is is slick, glossy, and eye catching in its new yellow, red, and grey colors. The body felt firm and solid in my hand, while the 920s display looked sharp, bright, and colorful. The 4.5-inch curved display pops, thanks in large part to the 1280x768 pixel resolution and Nokias ClearBlack technology. (That's the Nokia technology aimed at making screens more visible when youre outdoors.)

Turning to the phones Windows 8 interface, I found the live tiles easy to move (as they were in Windows Phone 7) and easy to resize from small, medium, and large. Large-sized tiles display the most information about the app in question; for example, when I resized the email app to the large tile size, it showed the last email read.

The 920 reacts instantly to commands, operating smoothly and without any lag, thanks to its Snapdragon 4 processor. I cant stress enough how amazing photos look on the 920s display.

The demo area also gave Nokia the chance to show off some of the 920s camera features, specifically its floating-lens technology for image stabilization. Side-by-side screens displayed video captured both with and without the image stabilization. The difference was remarkable: video captured using Nokias image stabilization technology was noticeably less jittery and shaky than the video taken without, giving the 920 an edge over rival smartphones on the camera front.

Accessories took a prominent role in the demo area, with most stations showing off a number of wireless charging options, including a colored oval flat plate, astanding nightstand dock, and the Fatboy pillow. All of these charging options worked as soon as the handset was set down upon them, although finding the exact right spot occasionally took me a try or two. The highlight of the wireless charging demos was the JBL Power Up speaker system; it not only charges the handsets but also broadcasts music from the phone, and has a remarkable range. One Nokia rep told me was able to place calls in her bathroom while the speaker system in her bedroom continued to stream music from her phone.

All the Nokia reps in the demo area were also wearing Nokia Purity Pro Stereo Headphones made by monster Monster. These headphones feature near-field communication (NFC) capabilities so that they can be paired to the new Lumia handsets.

All in all, the Lumia 920 looks lovely, performs smoothly, and has a deluge of featuresespecially if your smartphone doubles as a camera. While many of the physical aspects of the new phone were similar to the older Lumia model – save for that exceptional camera – its the software that really stands out. Camera features like the ability to add motion or delete people whove wandered into the shot along with the phones augmented reality-flavored City Lens option will likely set the Lumia apart from other Windows Phone handsets.

The predominant question about he Lumia 920 among people in the demo room seemed to be when they could get one and how much they'll cost. Unforutnately, they'll have to wait until Q4 of this year to find.